Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1258433
After completing Phase 1, over a period of 26 weeks pilots continue their theo- retical training, simulator flights as well as start their flights on T-6 aircraft with a total of approx. 120 hours. During this part, the main focus is on the basics of flights, communication, navigation, pre- cision flying as well as small formation flights. At the end of this phase, most of the students already know what plane they will be flying in the future – it might be a fighter, bomber, transport aircraft or others, while already this assignment depends on the country's requirements and aircraft availability. Last phase is called "Advanced Aircraft Training" – these are 24 weeks of in- tense T-38 training (135 hours in total), where students are being taught more advanced formations (2 and 4 aircraft) or low-level solo and formation flights. After completion of this phase, most of them will transition to IFF course, to be better prepared for future flights and later on will return to their origin coun- tries or units. Best of them might be chosen for PIT course and in the future train other pilots at Sheppard AFB. także uczestniczyło w kursie IFF, aby lep- iej przygotować się do dalszych działań, a następnie powróci do swoich kra- jów/jednostek macierzystych. Najlepsi z nich mogą zostać wybrani do kursu PIT i w przyszłości szkolić innych pilotów w Sheppard. T-6 Aviation journey of each pilot at Shep- pard AFB starts with T-6A Texan II aircraft, which is built based on Pila- tus PC-9. It is a successor of Cessna T-37B and flies in USAF since 2001. Its construction is quite similar to Brazilian Embraer A29 Super Tucano or Polish PZL-130 Orlik, but in a bit newer ver- sion – with PT-6A engine allowing it to fly 585 km/h and a range of 1600km. From the very first moment in the cock- pit one can see how modern this aircraft is – new glass instruments, quite a lot of space as well as a great Martin Bak- er ejection seat. Aircraft is very good to handle from the pilot's perspective and is being appreciated mostly thanks to long range and high endurance up to 3h – within this period instructors can easily train a lot of manoeuvres with students. Despite the fact that Sheppard have more than 150 T-6s and they are being constantly used for training, they are being kept in ideal condition – mainte- nance crew takes very good care of them with checks before every depar- ture both by technicians and pilots. Cur- rently two of these aircraft (one from 89th FTS and one from 459th FTS) are undergoing colour scheme change to a vintage one in order to commemo- rate Air Force traditions and contribute towards warbirds from the past. T-38 Once the T-6 training is over, pilots are being transitioned to jets, which are T-38s. This aircraft is very similar to F-5 fighter – small wings, slick silhou- ette and ability to fly supersonic makes it a great construction for training – this was proved for almost 55 years of active duty. Apart from supersonic speed, this aircraft has a great climb rate (10km in 1 minute) and a maximum roll rate of 720deg/s. Aircraft is also good to handle in terms of pilotage, however, due to its age, requires more interaction from pilot. Cockpit is definitely smaller, but thanks to the upgrade to the T-38C main ele- ment is a modern flight computer along with HUD (Head-Up Display), which defi- nitely make flights and navigation easier. T-38 was and still is used by the US Air Force not only for basic pilot training, but also for Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. As an interesting note, being told by pilots, is that most of dy- namic manoeuvres or aerobatics are being flown in stalls. This is happening because of the small wing area, which occurs as shaking of all aircraft, how- ever it doesn't influence very badly its aerodynamic parameters. Comparing T-6 and T-38, both students and instructors are agreeing that T-38 is better – "It's more prestigious, has a slim silhouette and still after 50 years of service it presents itself very well in the air. However, we can't forget about T-6 as the aircraft for the very basic training – most of our students have never flown previously, so we need to see how they will perform in the air. T-6 is a better solution as it's easier to fly and can forgive more initial mistakes" says Col Hey. AVIATION